SOUND BITES

Much of the advance narrative attached to The Decemberists' eighth record was that of another abandonment of their established musical pathways. I'll Be Your Girl has been referred to in some circles as their synth pop record, an assumption drawn from lead single Severed and its thumping new wave propulsion. Upon first listen, the album seems to be following suit; opening track Once In My Life starts out as more typical, acoustic-based Decemberists fare before blossoming into a nocturnal new wave anthem. The pattern continues on Cutting Stone , a less successful re-appropriation of the band's sound. As it turns out, nothing on the record is as blatantly synth-heavy as Severed ; though synths and keyboards do appear throughout, there's perhaps no proof as potent to those synth pop critics as this. The thing is, though, underneath all of that extra colour the song kicks; it's a different look for the band, to be sure, but one that absolutely suits them. As the...

Typically a chance to take a breather from the year that had just passed and resolve to get through the winter while looking forward to some great albums in the spring, 2015 bucked that trend in grand fashion. From established artists releasing highly anticipated albums that met or exceeded expectations to hungry new artists looking to make their mark, the first quarter of 2015 provided an abnormally high amount of quality songs and albums. The tone was also set early with female-fronted projects that hit with force and built momentum for women in rock that carried through the rest of the year (I wrote about that here in April). The first batch of Song of the Year nominees are:

I was reading through the comment section for an article on one of the sites I frequent earlier this week which, for me, seemed to encapsulate the average hipster's view of The Decemberists. The group's seventh record wasn't the subject of the article, but through the course of the comments and responses it was mentioned how strong the year was starting off musically, with Sleater-Kinney's latest top of mind. In an act of snarky pseudo-comedy, the person muttered something along the lines of "even The Decemberists managed to put out a good album". It's a common belief among many so-called Decemberists fans that their previous record, the simplistic and brilliant The King is Dead , was a lesser piece of art due to the stripping away of overbearing pretension and theatrics. Its acoustic leanings and focus on songs rather than stories rubbed some the wrong way, as though they were owed a lifetime of eclectic theatre, murder ballads and witty wordplay. For w...

It's been incredibly quiet over the last few weeks, and thankfully so; working my paying gig in retail is always a bitch at Christmas time, and this year was particularly taxing. Now, with things easing their way back toward something resembling normal again, I figured it's high time we take our annual look ahead. It starts with a handful of artists who have officially confirmed new stuff for early in the year and, as you'll see, there's some pretty intriguing albums on the horizon. Let's dive in, shall we?

THE DECEMBERISTS Down By the Water From: The King is Dead Released: January 18 Renowned for intricate albums chock full of murder ballads and high concepts, the Decemberists released what vocalist Colin Meloy referred to as "an exercise in restraint" in 2011.  The King is Dead doesn't have an overarching storyline, song suites, or even a particularly high body count.  What it lacks in familiar Decemberists fare, however, it makes up for in heartfelt, well-written songs.  Musically, most of the album is less cabaret and more Americana compared to earlier efforts, and it really does work.  Plus, the lack of concept gives the songs a chance to stand on their own merit.  Sure, it's no doubt fun to create a cast of characters and give them a songbook, but by throwing out the box that concept albums lock a writer into, the Decemberists have given their most cohesive, most concise and (most importantly) most enjoyable set of songs yet.  Ch...